Going Against the Grain
by The Deathman's Overlord
Summary: Three stories, or be they one, of a legend foretold to a region that has long since been forgotten. Keane Kinsley has spent his entire life trying to be good enough, be it for his parents, for his brothers, or just overall. When he is given the chance, will he be content with just being good? Or is he destined for greatness?


_Date: March 25 _

He stood in a fog, surrounded, yet safe. It only took a few moments for him to relax. There was something watching him, he could feel its eyes, golden and calculating. This was far from the first time he had felt its piercing gaze, which helped him know that he was both safe, despite the hairs on his arms being raised, and dreaming. He wondered for the millionth time what it was, but he could only walk further into the fog, unable to find what he knew was waiting for him there.

He could hear the cries of something that lured him closer. The sounds were filled with anguish, sadness, and disappointment so heavy it made his eyes well up with tears. His hand brushed against the rough bark of a tree as he used them to move towards whatever he could hear. It was so lonely, and it called to his very spirit. He wondered what it was, but somehow knew that today wouldn't be the night that he found the answers that he wanted, no needed, to find.

Every night, he got closer and closer, but he could never truly find what he was looking for. It was frustrating to recognize the same dream again, and yet still never be able to find out how it properly ended.

A sound, like the howl of something large and powerful, echoed around him, loudly enough that it startled him awake. It was louder than anything else in the forest, and sounded close, far closer than he had expected. Before he had a chance to look around, though, he jolted awake.

Sweat ran down his face and his breathing was unsteady It took a few minutes for him to calm down enough to realize that he was actually awake His ears were ringing, like the creature had been right next to him when it howled, but he was safe in his room, with no signs that anyone else had been there. That, he told himself, was different. Very, very different.

Usually, he woke up because he fell out of his bed, trying to reach whatever it was that pulled him in his mind. Usually, he woke up to silence, with nothing but his own quiet, slightly quick, breath in his ears.

Running a hand through his platinum blonde hair, he tried to reorient himself. He hated that dream. It always left him feeling hollow and incomplete, yet somehow, he regretted waking up. He flopped down on his pillow, turning his head so that he could muffle his loud sigh of irritation. It had been months since the dreams had started, and despite his best efforts, he still had no idea what the Pokémon was.

Forcing himself up, he looked around again, his room, to his embarrassment, was a mess. His blanket, a deep emerald green color, was on the floor, while his sheets were tangled around him. His desk and bookshelf, made of the same dark wood that made up his bedframe and dresser, were covered in papers and books that he had been studying, before he gave up and fell asleep. His dresser wasn't completely closed, neither was his closet door, he noticed with an inward sigh, and the clothing he had tossed to the floor before he fell asleep didn't make the room look any better.

With a sigh, he started his usual morning clean up, first making his bed, then folding his dirty laundry and placing it in its basket, followed by reorganizing his desk, putting all the loose papers in their usual places, before closing his dresser drawers. Finally, he headed towards the closet to find something to wear. All of his clothing was pressed, and hanging perfectly in the closet, and the entire space was organized by color, length of sleeves, and type of clothing. Technically, he had four sections in there, his under shirts, his outer shirts, his jackets, and his pants all hung neatly.

He considered his options, before picking out a white, button up with a white undershirt and a pair of black pressed trousers. Once his clothing was picked, he took it to the bathroom to clean up for the day and go through his usual plans. He really didn't have much to do, though he did want to pick up a few more supplies from Professor Magnolia in Wedgehurst. She had a massive library and was kind enough to let him borrow books on whatever topic he felt like. Which was perfect for him, as he had a wide interest in all types of things. He loved learning about histories, and mythologies, but his true passion was information as a whole. He had a practically insatiable thirst for knowledge, be it biology, medicine, psychology, or something completely different.

Dressing quickly, he paused by the mirror. His hair, now wet from the shower, clung to his head, and his usually bright green eyes looked duller than usual. Of course, he wasn't surprised. It had been months since he had a decent night's sleep, and even longer since he was able to wake up slowly. Several times, he had considered talking to someone about the dream, probably the Professor since he wasn't a fan of most people. And yet, he had never said a word.

He had spent several hours looking through the Professor's books trying to find answers, but he eventually had given up. If she had information about the murky, foggy woods and the tug he felt, it wasn't in her normal library.

Normally, at his age, he wouldn't still be at home, able to research to his heart's content. In fact, he was indeed old enough to go on his own journey. There was only one problem, his parents. They absolutely refused to let him have anything to do with any Pokémon, even going as far as to tell their own Pokémon to stay away from him. He wasn't entirely sure why they were so against his growing up, especially as he had siblings who were trainers, but they had flat out refused the professor when she had tried to give him a Pokémon for his tenth birthday two months prior.

Professor Magnolia had gotten a very shy, yet curious Dreepy in who enjoyed hiding behind his neck, under his hair. She had wanted him to take the Pokémon, instead of a normal Galarian Titan, because she had noticed something very peculiar. Ghosts type Pokémon… liked him. He was by no means going to become a Ghost type Master, no, one Alistar in Galar was plenty, but they enjoyed playing with him, and some of them followed him as soon as he entered her lab.

He had really wanted to take the Pokémon, even though it would have been miserable by itself, but his parents had refused. His mother had tried to ban him from going to see the Professor and tried to confine him to the tiny town of Postwick, instead of letting him go to Wedgehurst. What she didn't realize what that Professor Magnolia was more than happy to help anyone who was willing to learn from the world around them.

It didn't help that he was the youngest of four, all boys, and each of his brothers had become great in their own way. His oldest brother was becoming a Pokémon surgeon, his second brother was a successful breeder, his third brother was half of a well known team of double battlers, and his parents were both type trainers, his mother specializing in water types, and his father in fighting types.

Yet, when it came to him, his parents seemed to panic. He had grown up being unable to get too close to any Pokémon. His parents, especially his mother, seemed to have a sixth sense for when he got close to any of their Pokémon. She hated the chance that he might somehow bond with a partner, and had flat out refused to get him a Pokémon for his birthday two months ago. He hadn't asked for anything in particular, he would have been happy with practically anything, but no, he had been laughed at and criticized for his desire.

Personally, he thought that he could be a decent trainer, he was calm and meticulous, but they had refused, and his brothers would never waste their time with him. It didn't help that being a trainer was something he wanted, and thus, something his family made sure he would never have. Still, he knew that he would be a lot less lonely if he had a partner of his own. He didn't even have to leave, he just wanted something that could keep him company.

At the moment, he wasn't exactly interested in battles, or competing in the yearly circuit which would be opening once again in about a week. He just wanted to not be so lonely, which was, apparently, a crime.

He huffed to himself and smoothed out his clothes and his hair. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew that people underestimated him constantly because of the way he looked. He was smaller than the other boy who lived just south of Postwick, Hop, and had surprisingly delicate features. His icy blonde hair and wide green eyes gave people the impression that he was helpless, and the way he dressed, what he referred to as business casual, didn't help inspire people to trust that he could take care of himself.

It wasn't as though he was fully helpless, or that he was weak, in fact, he had worked hard to make himself seem that way. It was a good thing, he reminded himself. It meant that he always had an advantage.

And right now, he told himself, he needed to get to Professor Magnolia's lab so that his biggest advantage, his knowledge, could continue to grow. He slipped on his boots, black and shinning, and headed towards the door. He considered getting breakfast, but he figured he could get something in town, after all, it was only a forty-five-minute walk from Postwick to Wedgehurst, and the chances of him being attacked were pretty much nonexistent.

He glanced around as soon as he opened the door, before relaxing. If he knew his parents, his father would be in the dojo behind the house, working with his Pokémon and his mother would be in the pool with hers. He was alone, thankfully. He yawned widely, only remembering to cover his mouth at the last second and stretched his arms over his head as he started walking. It was a nice day, the weather was warm, for early spring, the sun was shining brightly, and he could hear several Pokémon cawing and cooing from where he walked. Butterfree flew overhead, and Budew seemed to be basking in the still gentle sunlight.

On days like this, he loved living in Postwick. Then again, he had hardly lived anywhere else. Technically, he was born in Unova, but his family had moved to Postwick in Galar by the time he turned three. He had grown up among the giant fields, the small sounds of young Pokémon, and the soft rivers and lakes nearby that he sometimes wandered to.

Yet, he still wished more than anything that he had a partner by his side, a Pokémon that could understand how he wanted to thrive but kept being strangled instead. He wasn't picky, he knew that he would be happy with anything from a common Zigzagoon to a rarer Pokémon, and anything in between. He just wanted a friend that he didn't have to pretend with.

With a sigh, he laced his fingers behind his head and turned tilted his head upwards. Sometimes, he wanted to escape. He wanted to gather up as much money as he could manage to, and get as far away from his family as he could. He knew that he could never be happy, not really, if he stayed in Postwick.

That was the hand he was given, though, so he knew that he would find a way to make it work. After all, he was Keane Kinsley, the youngest genius of the Kinsley family. He could make any situation work to his advantage. Besides, not a lot of people were actually happy with the lives they lived, but they were content, which, he supposed was as good as it got for someone like him.

It didn't matter how he felt about any-

Keane froze, the hairs on the back of his neck raising quickly as he tried to understand what was happening. Somehow, he had become surrounded, mostly by Nickit, which wouldn't be a problem by themselves, as they were mostly skittish, but he had heard rumors that one had evolved, and when a Thievul was involved, the mostly shy creatures could become deadly.

He glanced around, hoping that he wouldn't see the large, fox like creature that towered over the smaller forms. This pack was seven Nickit strong and had a commanding Thievul. He was on the usual route he always took, nowhere near the large grassy areas that most of the Pokémon preferred, but yet, somehow, they had managed to surround him with a quick and stunning accuracy.

Honestly, he was impressed by the hunting tactics that the Pokémon used, except, of course, that they had decided to use it on him. It was strange to see them out so early, usually they were hiding in their dens until late afternoon or early evening, but he supposed it was still early enough for them to be out. It was just his luck.

Normally, the Pokémon wouldn't be a danger to anyone, as they were easily scared away, but apparently, this pack had decided that he would be a great prey. They had to be starving, which was strange as Route One, the path that led from Postwick to Wedgehurst, usually had plenty of weaker prey, and on the verge of going mad. Maybe they just didn't like people, or they were getting revenge for something, Thievul were known for holding grudges after all. Either way, he wasn't sure if he was on the menu, or if he had somehow ended up in their territory, which meant he was a threat and would possibly end up being maimed.

He held his hands up, raising them slowly as he locked eyes with the Thievul. Something weird was going on, and he couldn't understand it. The smaller Nickit had all been growling, but the Thievul snarled ferociously at him. They seemed excited almost, that they had him completely surrounded. It wasn't like he could fight them off either, as he had both no weapon or anything he could use as a weapon. He couldn't outrun them either, they were a lot faster than he could ever hope to be. There was no point in yelling for help either, as none of the wild Pokémon in the area would stand up to the pack, and there were so few trainers this far south.

Cursing his luck, he tried to think, there had to be some way he could calm them down. There had to be something he could do to get out of this mess. Right?

The Thievul locked eyes with him, before snarling louder and pouncing towards him. He sidestepped the attack, but that brought him even closer to the Nickit that were just about to bite his feet off. He couldn't break the circle he had been trapped in, of course not, and he felt a sickness down in his stomach.

Were they going to maul him and leave him for dead? Was that really how he wanted to die?

His heart was pumping fast, and his brain moved even faster, trying to calculate a way out of this mess. The Thievul tried again, this time knocking him down and pinning him under its weight as it snarled and drooled a few inches from his face. He tried to figure out what to do, if struggling would make it worse or not, before the Pokémon was headbutted off of him.

The leader of Nickit snarled, but his savior roared, which, thankfully, was enough to make the pack retreat.

Keane sat up slowly, and stared at the Pokémon who saved him. It was large, and dragon like with orange scales, blue eyes, horns on its head, a set of massive wings, and a flaming tail that swung violently behind it. A Charizard, his mind told him in disbelief. While the Pokémon was native to Kanto, it wasn't that impossible to see them in other regions, like Kalos, but they were never wild in the Galar region. In fact, there were only a handful of trainers who could get one of their previous forms on their teams.

It huffed grumpily, shooting a flame out of its mouth towards the pack, before glancing towards him again. It looked him over, probably checking for injuries, before it went back on guard. It seemed like it was waiting for someone.

He forced himself up, legs shaking mildly, and went over to the giant, to him, Pokémon. "Thank you." He whispered quietly, "I don't know what they would have done to me if you hadn't stepped in."

The Pokémon nodded at him, before its head snapped towards the hill. It waited for a few moments, before rolling its eyes, seeming exasperated more than anything. Seconds later, he found out why. Apparently, it had been waiting on its trainer, and the Pokémon was not amused by the slowness of the man.

It only took a second to recognize the older trainer, the long, messy purple hair, ridiculous hat, and cape were more than enough. Paired together with the Charizard, he knew that this was Champion Leon's famous fighter.

The Champion looked sheepish as it approached the two of them, and Charizard huffed at his trainer. "Sorry, bud, I know." The Charizard simply rolled its eyes again. It was more than used to this by now. It had been a decade since Leon had become the Unbeatable Champion, and he was known for several things, his hat, his Charizard, but the one that made everyone laugh, he couldn't follow directions to save his life. The man was perpetually lost, and if rumors were true, he had tried to get to Stow on Side, and ended up in Circleature instead. He simply had no sense of direction.

Apparently, he was always being herded by his Charizard or another member of his team, when he had to go somewhere. It was very strange to realize that the man had probably gotten lost while Charizard flew ahead to save him. It was even stranger because Leon was from Postwick, and his house was a little further south, not quite as far as Keane's though.

He bowed his head slightly towards the man. "Thank you for your help, sir, and for sending Charizard."

While he had a suspicion that the Pokémon had sensed the danger and gone ahead to save him, instead of being ordered to, he wasn't going to say that. Not at all. He had more sense than that.

Leon seemed to blink at him, before frowning. "Do… Do I know you, kid?"

"No sir, I do not believe so." He had been introduced to the man before, but it had been years ago, and only for a few seconds before he had been whisked away by his parents. Apparently, it was fine for Keyrus, Kieran, and Kaleb to interact with the champion, but he wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the man. He was fairly certain that Keyrus had left Postwick around the same time as Leon did, and his oldest brother had tried to win the Circuit his first year, but hadn't made it past the fairy type leader, Opal. It wasn't long after that Keyrus had decided that battling wasn't for him, and he had decided to peruse a degree in medicine instead. "But, you might know my family. I'm the youngest Kinsley."

The Champion seemed to peer closer at him, and Keane knew what the man was going to say before he had a chance to. "Huh, you look a lot like Keyrus." Keane had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He looked almost identical to his oldest brother, and anyone who knew Keyrus Kinsley would recognize him practically instantly. "I think I saw you once a few years ago."

The second part was a bit of a surprise. Most people seemed to forget him pretty easily. He wasn't exactly the most social of his family and he was a bit of a nerd. It made a lot of people uncomfortable around him. "Possibly."

"What happened anyway? I know Charizard heard something and went to check it out, but…"

Keane glanced to the left, not meeting the Champion's eyes. His cheeks lit up in embarrassment. "One of the Nickit recently evolved, and the pack it made seemed to decide that I was offending them by existing." He said softly.

The Champion seemed even more confused. "Why didn't you send out your Pokémon? Thievul aren't usually a fan of confrontation."

"I don't have a Pokémon." His cheeks burned as he spoke.

"You look old enough." Leon muttered, more to himself than to Keane.

His head fell forward a bit. "I, uh, I am. My parents decided that I am not allowed to have a partner." He hated it. There were kids, younger than him, with full teams that challenged the circuit, but he wasn't allowed to have a Pokémon. Heck, two of the gym leaders were his age, in Bea's case, or younger, in Alistar's case. The Ghostly leader was over a year younger than him and was one of the youngest Leaders in the world.

Leon's eyes narrowed, gold trying to stare him down. "Isn't your brother a trainer?"

Keane nodded. Everyone in his family had their own Pokémon and were trainers in their own way. "Yes sir. Keyrus gave up battling a while agon, but my brother Kaleb works for the league as a double battler with his friend Christopher." Funny enough, Kaleb was the only one of his brothers that was a decent battler. Keyrus never had the temperament for it, and Kieran was more interested in breeding and raising other people's Pokémon than his own.

"Why?"

The single word summed up the questions he had been asking himself. He had absolutely no idea. "They don't allow me to be anywhere near Pokémon usually." The excuse, for that's what it was, seemed weak, but he honestly didn't know. He didn't understand why he wasn't allowed to go on his own journey to discover himself, when all of his brothers had been allowed to go. "They think I should focus on other things instead of wasting my time going on a journey."

The older man stared at him for a moment longer, before snorting to himself, and grabbing Keane's wrist. He considered trying to resist, but Leon's golden eyes burned with… something, and he wasn't stupid enough to say no to the Unbeatable Champion. Charizard seemed to be on the same page as his trainer and continued leading them somewhere.

When they stopped, it was at a house he knew from passing it practically every week. The home was grand, brick, and two stories tall, with a yard that had a fully functioning patio, complete with a grill, a zen garden with a small pond and a large tree, as well as a small, but usable, battle area. It was a lot more welcoming than his own house, and the people inside, Leon's little brother, mother, and grandparents, were a lot more welcoming than those at his house too.

As soon as they headed towards the house, a clingy, loud, excitable kid bolted out the front door. His hair was the same purple color, only a lot shorter, and he had the same darker skin and golden eyes of his brother. Everyone knew that Hop, Keane had no idea what the other boys real name was, adored his brother and practically worshipped him.

The younger brother was like a whirlwind, speaking so quickly that his sentences often ran together and he never stayed still. It was as if the younger boy had an endless supply of energy.

Keane tried to stay out of the way, but he wasn't able to get very far. Leon still had a hold of his wrist, and Charizard seemed to sense that he was trying to get away and glared him down. He wasn't going anywhere if the fire type had anything to say about it. Whatever the giant lizard and his trainer had dragged him here for, he wouldn't be able to leave until they were ready for him too. It was all he could do to practically hide behind the taller man.

Charizard blew out a short burst of smoke, and he ducked his head again. Nope. He wasn't going anywhere and it wasn't worth trying to fight it.

There was something to say, though, about the way Leon handled his little brother. Somehow, the older trainer had no problem directing Hop's energy towards whatever he wanted, which was why when Leon pulled him towards the other young trainer, Hop's eyes seemed glued to him.

Hop seemed slightly surprised to see him, and his eyes moved to where Leon had been gripping his arm, but he adjusted quickly. "Hey, Keane!" Hop said cheerfully, "Long time, no see. How've you been mate? How's your family doing? What Pokémon do you have?"

Leon laughed, loudly and happily, which made his younger brother look at him with adoring eyes. "Calm down Hop, he's not going anywhere for a while, and you'll have plenty of time to ask him whatever questions you want later. For now, though-"

"You brought a gift!" Hop exclaimed, seemingly vibrating in place with energy. "What is it? A rare Pokémon?"

"Yes actually." Leon said simply, golden eyes gleaming in mischief.

Hop's eyes lit up. "Really? I'm gonna use whatever it is to beat you one day!"

That was nothing new. For years, Hop had been saying that his brother was waiting to face him to loose and was positive that only he could dethrone the Unbeatable Champion. He was determined to face his brother one day, and he wanted nothing more than to be the one to beat his brother.

Keane… wasn't so sure that would happen. He had heard when Hop had gotten his first Pokémon, a Wooloo, almost three months ago now, and as far as he knew, the Pokémon hadn't grown much at all. Then again, he didn't actively socialize with anyone, except for the Professor.

"Well, seeing as Keane here doesn't have a Pokémon yet, I thought I'd let him pick first, if you don't mind, Hop. But first…" Leon trailed off and pulled three basic Pokéballs from his belt. He tossed all three, and Keane had to bite back a gasp as the white light faded.

The first was a small blue gecko like Pokémon with large, watery blue eyes and a yellow crest. The second was a rabbit Pokémon that was mostly white with a dark orange/red color on its face and around its paws. The third was a monkey Pokémon, that held a small stick and seemed to enjoy hitting the ground with it.

These three, he thought with disbelief, were the Galarian Titans. Well, their first forms, but still. Sobble, Scorbunny, and Grookey were rare in the Galar region, but impossible to find anywhere else. They had vastly powerful evolutions, if raised right. They weren't as exciting as some of the other region's titans were, but they were a sight to behold.

They seemed to be energetic and healthy members of their species and were extremely impressive. The Grookey, who had been busy comforting the Sobble as the little water type was scared by pretty much everything, suddenly looked up, meeting his light green eyes with calm, yet intelligent, black ones. Grookey was sizing him up, a protector from the very beginning.

Leon cleared his throat, making him tear his eyes away from the small black ones. "Looks like Grookey decided for you."

Keane blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Grookey is one of the most relaxed Pokémon I've ever met. I've never seen him perk up like that for anyone else. Besides, it looks like Sobble made his choice too."

Keane glanced at the small gecko and sure enough, the Pokémon seemed to be in a staring match with Hop. Neither boy actively chose the Pokémon, but it was clear that the Pokémon had the final say. He knelt down slowly, unwilling to move to fast incase he startled the three Pokémon. To his surprise, Grookey seemed to debate with itself, before coming over to the boy, jumping slightly, and hitting the side of Keane's head with its stick.

The Pokémon landed gracefully, and seemed rather pleased with itself, while Key just stared at it. Did that Pokémon, that tiny little Pokémon, just hit him?

Leon burst out laughing from beside him, and he took that to mean that the answer to his mental question was yes. He wasn't sure what he had done to the tiny monkey, but apparently, it wasn't happy with him, but it also wasn't willing to go any further than a couple of feet from his side.

Keane blinked down at the little creature with a small frown. "What was that for?"

The monkey Pokémon just sent him a smug smirk and tapped the ground with his stick once more.

"Alright then." He said slowly. "I take it you want to come with me then?"

The look that Grookey sent him promised a slow death if he didn't stop asking stupid questions. He was now the grass types trainer, and no one could say anything about it. Even if the blonde hadn't been smart enough to get him earlier, he supposed it was forgivable. This time.

Keane straightened back up and sent the Champion a questioning look. One, he noticed, that was quickly ignored.

Leon knew exactly what was going on, but he wasn't going to say anything to the boy, not now, maybe not ever. Instead, the champion bent down himself and held a hand towards the Scorbunny. "That means you're with me, little one." Charizard huffed at his trainer in annoyance, and Leon quickly backtracked. "I mean, you're with us. Charizard and the rest of my team will help train you up properly."

The blonde wondered if the Champion actually meant that or not. He knew that Leon had a powerful team already, but he wondered if the man would actually use the Scorbunny in his official matches or just keep the rabbit as a backup. It wasn't his business, he supposed.

Without the distraction, his green eyes wandered back to the grass type Pokémon. How was he going to hide this from his family? They couldn't be mad at him if the Unbeatable Champion was the one who gave him his first Pokémon, right? Then again, his family had worked hard to keep him away from practically every Pokémon, even going as far as scolding the Professor's granddaughter for letting her Yamper around him. If they were that determined to keep him away from the trainers life, then there was very little he could do without flat out disappearing in the middle of the night.

The Grookey climbed his pants as he thought, why couldn't he just leave? There was very little that he actually cared about here, and as long as he could battle, he could make some sort of income. He was a bit unsure of how to make this actually work, but he was tired of being held back, and it was his turn to spend some time figuring out who he was and what he wanted to do with his life. That was why children, or adults, went on their journeys in the first place, to discover their truths.

Reaching up, he scratched Grookey's head, who had finally managed to make it to his shoulder. He wanted to figure out his own truths, and he wanted to do it with Grookey by his side. He didn't want to be alone anymore, and if he had his way, he never would be again.

"Hey, Keane! Wanna have a battle to get used to our new partners?" Hop said excitedly, making him glance to where the other boy was standing, with his Sobble by his side.

It was a good idea, he supposed, but he didn't know what moved Grookey could use. Then again, Hop had no idea what Sobble could do either.

"You should probably look on your T-phones to see what their stats are before you battle with them. Every trainer should know their Pokémon's statistics before they use them in a battle." Leon advised. "And, you might need these first." The older trainer tossed one Pokéball towards Hop, who almost let it fall before he could close his fingers around it, before handing a second to Keane. The blonde held it carefully in one hand, before putting it carefully on his belt.

That's right, Keane remembered, pulling his T-phone out of his pocket, there was a function on them that allowed a trainer to see exactly what moves a Pokémon could use, what their stats were like, and what kind of things they would struggle with, vs what they would excel in. The Champion made a good point, how was he supposed to battle with Grookey if he didn't know what kind of moves it knew? Heck, he didn't even know if the Pokémon was a male or a female! He had known that he should always look first, but he just… hadn't thought about it.

He tapped the small Pokéball icon that had been sitting uselessly on his phone for the better part of a year and was surprised to see that it already showed a digitized version of his Grookey. Clicking on it, he saw that the Pokémon knew two moves, scratch and growl, that the Pokémon was a male, its height, just an inch shy of a foot tall, even its ability, overgrow. It was also somehow, extremely bulky apparently, almost four pounds heavier than the typical Grookey would be at fourteen pounds, nine ounces. The information was insanely useful and made it easier to strategize. His Pokémon was, surprisingly, a great attacker who was working on mastering a third move, Branch Poke.

Keane looked at it considering something he never had, before opening up the naming section, where it was simple to change the Pokémon's official nickname. Did he want the Pokémon to have a nickname? His first thought was yes, yes he did. His second thought was that he wanted to name him after a great mythical king of Galarian mythology, one even older than the Hero himself.

No one really knew where the legend of King Arturic and his mysterious disappearing Island came from, and there were so few records of the story that were around. To be fair, most people were more interested in the Legend of the Great Hero, so practically every other piece of mythology was discarded.

He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, before typing in the name that came to mind every time he caught a glimpse of his new partner, Arturic. If the Grookey didn't like the name, then he could always change it, but it felt right. His partner held himself like a king in some ways, and a rebel in others.

That decided, he flipped through the rest of the information he could get on the small monkey Pokémon. He was sure that he could handle the Pokémon in a battle now, even if he would rather see his new friends' moves outside of battle first, just so he could know for sure that the Pokémon would be alright.

Then again, Hop was going to be using Sobble, and that Pokémon was just as weak as his own. Hop would be just as unsure about a strategy as he was, and it wasn't like either Pokémon could do the other any real damage, they were so young that even the losing Pokémon would recover with no problem.

Instead, while Hop was bouncing around talking to himself, Keane pulled the Pokémon off of his shoulder and looked at it carefully. "Are you going to be able to fight Sobble?" He asked quietly. If he was right about Arturic's personality, the Pokémon was a protector, a guardian, and a guide for other Pokémon. He had probably been keeping an eye out for both Sobble and Scorbunny for a while, given how fast he had made Sobble stop crying.

If that was the case, then there was no way that Grookey would even try, actually try that is, to win against Sobble. However, if the Pokémon wasn't under Arturic's protection, then it would be easy enough for the Monkey to show what he could do. They did have the type advantage already, after all.

Arturic looked at him, silently evaluating his new trainer for a moment, before, hesitantly, nodding his head. He would try and prove to the human that he hadn't made the wrong decision. It wasn't in his nature to fight as passionately as fire types could, or to be as wild as water types could be. No, the Pokémon only wanted to protect, and it was through protecting those he chose to that his real strength would show. That didn't mean he was going to lose just because had been looking out for Sobble. If the trainer was going to trust him with the rest of their team, then he had to prove himself early on, and that's what he would do.

Green eyes locked with black, and they came to a silent agreement to wait and see what the other could do. Keane had to prove that he could strategize with the moves that the Pokémon had, while Arturic had to prove that he was strong enough to be the protector of the rest of their future team. Neither was entirely sure about the other, but given the chance, they would do their best to prove that they could be trusted.


End file.
